Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Enka and Mathilde are best friends and artists. However, because of AI, Enka’s art is rendered obsolete and redundant whereas Mathilde’s art is original and masterfully executed.

The novel is basically “Single White Female” but with more technology involved. I’m not a fan of the obsessive, brutal, and competitive friendship’s between women as I see it as a trope and untrue due to the patriarchy. There’s no real message here except to love yourself and your own talent I suppose. The jealousy and envy that Enka has for Mathilde’s talent is so overdone that I’m tired of reading about women being pit against each other. And for what? So that one can kick the ladder out from under them once they reach the top of a patriarchal society? Which one character most definitely does this very thing. This book isn’t feminist.

Maybe I missed something, but I was not a fan. Some random pacing and storylines were thrown in for whatever reason and that was confusing as well.

Ling Ling Huang's writing in Immaculate Conception is nothing short of stunning. Every sentence feels intentional and poetic, creating a rhythm that pulled me in from the very beginning. The language is lush without ever being overly ornate, beautiful in a way that lingers long after you’ve finished a chapter.

What truly captivated me, though, was the depth with which the novel explores human relationships. It doesn’t shy away from the messiness of love, longing, and envy, and the way those feelings can shift and warp over time. The emotional intensity between the characters felt raw and real, and I found myself constantly reflecting on the choices they made and why.

This book made me feel, think, and want to immediately seek out more from this incredibly talented author. I can’t wait to see what Ling Ling Huang writes next.

Thank you Netgalley and The publisher for the Advanced Reader's Copy of Immaculate Conception.

I had to DNF. I am not the right audience for this novel as I find a lot of commentary on art very pretentious. And while this novel does argue that it's the whole point, that art is subjective, it also just not my jam. It felt like it would have been a great novel for someone else, just not me.

One of those hard to pick the top genre for. Sci-fi horror litfic combo that just worked so well. A little slow burn of the horror aspect but wow.

Enka is a fine arts major that doesn’t come from an art background so is very jealous and intrigued by Mathilde who is top of the class/ museums already want her work. They become sort of enmeshed until their relationship kinda of leaves them with push and pull trying to be separate artists. But Enka starts working for a tech company that could solve all of their problems.

I enjoyed the writing of this, the pretentious characters and the way the plot moved.
Highly recommend

Thanks to netgalley and penguin group for an eARC

A very exciting sophomore novel. I love a novel that considers the potential role/effects of technology and AI in the art space almost as much as I love reading about a messy, toxic friendship.

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang really got under my skin in the best way. The writing was sharp, intense, and so full of meaning. I loved how it explored AI, especially how it’s reshaping art and making us question what it even means to be original anymore. It really made me think about how AI is stealing the appreciation for original, hard-earned work, and how we’ve become so used to instant results that we barely stop to think about what we’re losing.

Enka is a tough character for a lot of people to sit with, and I get why. I found myself relating to her in ways that were a little too close for comfort. Sometimes we need characters like her, the ones who make us feel seen even when it’s uncomfortable.

This book was a lot. It was emotional, heavy, and left me questioning so many things. I felt for Mathilde and the trauma she went through, but I also felt for Enka and her struggle with envy. It was messy, it was human, and it made me think about how we are all shaped by the systems we live in.

The conversation around bodily autonomy also hit hard. It really made me sit with the idea that autonomy is not something that should be granted or taken away based on whether a person is seen as productive or useful in society. That is such a dangerous way of thinking, and this book doesn’t shy away from showing the harm it can cause.

Everything in this book worked for me. The way it brought together technology, wealth, art, success, and the messy realities of being human was so well done. I’ll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Soft DNF at 45%.

The prose was very interesting to me, but it was a slower burn than I expected and is not the right book for me at the moment. I hope to come back to it at a later time.

This book had me at the first chapter!! The writing is engaging and beautiful, the suspense and ominousness were written in every word!

I really enjoyed the character development as much as I enjoyed the setting! I love the science fiction aspect of this story and the look at art in its various forms!

Thank you to NetGalley, author Ling Ling Huang, and Penguin Group Dutton for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

Immaculate Conception is a read that had me shocked, intrigued, confused, and engrossed on nearly every page! Yes, the book is about what the description states, but it also is so much more than that because fair warning, the “mind sharing” procedure/storyline doesn’t happen until around 70% through. At its core, this is a story about technology, art, jealousy, and how far we are willing to go to risk it all. Following Enka and her relationship to/with Mathilde is a winding road that is a slow burn, and although the book is not long, it truly feels like we as a reader journey far with these characters. Huang’s writing is fantastic, and I was always on the edge of my seat to see their relationship evolve into the parasitic nature it becomes. However, I do have to bump this read down to 3 stars from my true 3.5 rating because I had some big issues with the world-building/setting. The setting is very clearly a near future, dystopian world that is technology reliant; the issue is how this technology is explained, or rather, lack of being explained. The book immediately introduces some technology aspects that are really important to the story, such as the buffers, without fully explaining what they are for a long time. This made it really confusing to read for a majority of the book because I didn’t understand what exactly these things were in the context of the story. Basically, I knew that they affected Enka, but I didn’t fully understand the society she was living in until about halfway through the book. I would have liked a little more exposition/explanation to better set up where the story was going instead of finally getting what things did or meant more than halfway through. I haven’t read Huang’s previous book, Natural Beauty, yet, so I’m not sure if this is her style of writing or if it’s unique to this book. I also had a bit of an issue with the pacing and how some things were barely mentioned/explained that were pretty important to the story. I would have liked to see it be a bit longer to give some more time to linger in the secondary aspects of the story. Overall, though, this was a very intriguing and unique read that made me think and had me engrossed with only some pacing and explanation issues, so I look forward to reading more of Huang’s work!

3.5 rounded up—there was a lot going on in this and not all of it made sense to me, but the premise was so interesting and the execution took it to another level. I loved the exploration of a competitive female friendship and the lengths we might go to both to be the best and to save each other and ourselves. The art world setting was perfect, the dystopian future was haunting, and the writing style even put me on edge in the best way. I loved Ling Ling Huang’s debut novel and loved diving into another one from her. The ending had me staying up late again which never happens anymore, and it was so worth it.

I went into this book expecting something very different from what I got. I think it's been mis-marketed a bit in the synopsis, which gives away plot points which don't even happen until the latter half of the book. I did enjoy the commentary on art, envy, control, and the extractive nature of capitalism. However, the sharp commentary was surrounded by a story that faltered in its pacing and never quite managed to feel real. I think this is a valuable work, but not necessarily one that I enjoyed.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Where to even start with this wonderful book? I’m still mulling over everything in my mind days after finishing the last page, so I’ll do my best to convene my feelings.

I guess I should start by saying that this book is like an onion. It has layers. You definitely have to spend some time peeling back the outer skin to get to the good stuff underneath. Or rather, you must be patient with the slow build up. I personally never mind a book that takes its time setting the scene, but I know in a world where everything is so readily available, people can sometimes get impatient. Take your time with this one; it’s worth the investment.

I will also confess to not knowing a lot about art; I mean, I took the required undergraduate courses on art and culture and enjoy the occasional stroll through an art gallery, but the type of art explored in this book is outside my stratosphere by quite a large margin. I did struggle at times with understanding the scenes in this book that explored this type of art and I won’t deny it. It was, however, a minor issue I had and a personal one at that.

As for the things I loved, I must start with the characters. Female friendships are so rarely featured in media and entertainment; these friendships are complex and beautiful, joyous and heartbreaking, painful and wonderful. Mathilde and Enka’s relationship was all of these. I found myself completely invested in them, nodding and smiling to myself when they were getting along, crying literal tears when the jealousy ate them alive. Ling Ling Huang crafted these characters with such care that I often felt as if I could reach out and take their hand.

I also loved Ling Ling Huang’s insightful look into technology. I often feel we are not stopping to ask ourselves if certain advancements are wise and I felt that sentiment echoed in the pages of this book. Even if we could be so close to another that we are practically the same person, should we? Even if we’re doing things in the name of love, have we stopped to contemplate the real reasons for our choices. I don’t want to go into any more detail here for fear of spoilers, but Ling Ling Huang explores all of this with breathtaking humanity.
In summary, while this had a slow start, the characters and their journeys are real, tangible and heartbreaking. I recommend anything and everything by Ling Ling Huang with my whole chest and thank you to the publisher for giving me a chance to read this masterpiece early.

Thank you Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Chatting with friends, the inevitable “what are you reading” was asked.

My response “Immaculate Conception”.. ohh what’s that about, they asked?

It’s about art and friendship and even jealousy bordering on envy.
Oh and yeah it’s about transplanting bits of your brain to share trauma like PTSD and easing the load, yeah it’s weird but very clever.
And it’s about friendship and jealousy.

This is not my usual genre and at times I was going to ditch this but I’m very glad I didn’t.
Ling Ling Huang is an incredible author and makes me reflect that perhaps the books we want to ditch are the ones we need to read the most. Perhaps these are the books that stretch you, make you uncomfortable, but offer something you hadn’t considered (not that I would consider any of these concepts literally!).

This opened my mind, renewed my long hidden interest in medical/bio ethics and gave me so much to ponder over.
I’m not the person that book would be marketed toward, I don’t appreciate art as much as I could and others do, I don’t like SCI FI, yet perhaps I am the exact person this book was marketed for.

Thank you for opening my mind and creating curiosity for me this week.
4.5 stars.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Huang’s writing of complicated women shines once again. I had the pleasure of reading this book in Tokyo art galleries and the writing was so immersive. The twists of obsession and consumption will keep you til the very end.

WhAAAAAAt was that. I was a bit concerned at first like oh this is interesting enough but was thinking a mid range rating. That progressed after the halfway mark. I absolutely loved it. It was so weird and strange. I am not an art type person but the brains of this story is beautiful. Thank you Netgalley, Penguin, and Ling Ling Huang for the ARC. I did wait to be able to listen to the audio and enjoyed it.

This book provides a profound look at our relationship with technology and how it might affect not only our physical environment but our interpersonal relationships and selves if we let it. I was deeply moved by the commodification of consciousness in this story. It’s terrifying to examine the pros and cons of this type of advanced technology. The author does a great job of using our main character to discuss the benefits and risks. I found the complete lack of self esteem and deep jealousy in the protagonist to be difficult to read at times. You just want to shake her and try to wake her up and out of it so she would stop making the choices she did. The middle of the book felt a bit slow to me, so it doesn’t get a full 5 stars but the last quarter will stay with me and make me think long into the future. A huge thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC copy.

I struggled to write this review because I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to read a DRC and I LOVED Natural Beauty. I found Immaculate Conception difficult to finish. My reading experience reminded me of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow - I enjoyed the vignettes and discussion of art but found every character one-dimensional and hard to root for. I thought the world-building, pace, and dialogue were uneven and clunky, and at times the narrator's voice felt very YA (love YA but was not expecting it here). There's no denying Ling Ling Huang's mind is powerful, and I wish the book could have been longer so we could have explored more threads I was interested in (I thought the flashbacks were the strongest part!). I think I'll be in the minority of this take and recognize that it's a me problem. Even though I was not the right audience for Immaculate Conception, I look forward to reading more by Ling Ling Huang.

2025 Comps: Confessions by Catherine Airey; Sister Snake by Amanda Lee Koe

I have absolutely no words.

This book is very black mirror and oh my god??? It’s absolute insanity. It was is very reminiscent of Parasite.

I’m so curious to know more about what happened once Logan found out! But I mean it also makes sense considering the whole point is a critique on performance art and how the industry extricates itself from trauma.

Enka is NUTS!!! Mathilde and Logan deserved so so so much better.

This was just, wow. Like.,,,, wow.

What a read!! I was instantly hooked from the start. Very eerie and unsettling. I loved the contrast between privileged and poor. I also liked exploring Mathilde and Enzo’s relationship. Obsessing makes you do crazy things, especially to the people you care about. Phenomenal writing, very detailed.

I think you should go into this blind so that’s all I’m going to say!


Thank you to the publishers for the opportunity of reading this as an E-arc <3

Immaculate Conception was visceral and dark, the type of book that turns everything upside down and makes you rearrange how you feel about life and its values. The relationship dynamic between Enka and Mathilde is one that can be seen in many female friendships when one feels the other is more talented. Even when you love someone, you always compare yourself. In this story you can take that comparison even farther and Enka does ultimately ruining her own artistic merit and abilities as well as Mathilde's. This book shows you the thing you love the most can be the thing that kills you. There may be redemption but there may also not be. I really enjoyed this novel, it made me ask a lot of questions of myself and my relationships.